1 CALL OF THE WILD Our family just got back from a week's camping vacation. Let's put it this way: CBC Radio Two is a Godsend. (cbc.ca)
2 WHO’S ON TOP? Public opinion polls seem to be all over the place – some saying the Cons are far ahead of the Liberals, while another suggests that the Cons and Liberals are an a deadlock. (CalgaryGrit) IMHO, it's probably the latter. The mainstream media – especially CTV and Canwest Global – are pretty much in the tank for the Cons because of the carriage fees issue (Google) – if that doesn't go through, those media outlets won't get $300 million extra in cash and an election may upset that applecart. As well, there are two other issues – in Saskatchewan (especially rural Saskatchewan) and Alberta the Cons's popularity has skewered national public opinion polls the same way the Liberals' popularity in Quebec skewered national public opinion polls during the Trudeau years. These recent polls don't factor into the equation the Kenyan refugee screwup, which will implode any Cons support in the 416/905 areas where there are many immigrants. My bet is this … a minority government for Prime Minister Michael Ignatieff, this November, or if he doesn't pull the plug and run an election he's going to be Stephane Dion reincarnated.
3 YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY Still want Saskatchewan to be the next Alberta? (Calgary Herald) Ron Gantefoer does. Or maybe he wants to be the next Devine Comedy (Regina Leader Post)
4 I HEAR THERE WAS SOME BIG CONCERT? I didn't make it to the AC/DC concert at Taylor Field last night. But if Bon Scott (photo of a memorial plaque in his birthplace courtesy Wikipedia) were still alive, I would have gone, and taken another former resident of Kirriemuir, Scotland, with me – my mom. Her father was the blacksmith in town: the Scotts were the bakers. The family, with a little wee Bon, emigrated to western Australia in the mid 1950s: Mom moved to Weyburn to work in the general hospital around the same time. Bon was a bagpiper in a marching band in western Australia in the 1960s: my grandfather – who died about 15 years before I was born – was a noted piper. Of course, mom still thinks J.M. Barrie is still the greatest son of Kirriemuir. But in Bon's and Mom's honour, and thanks to YouTube, I give you four views of, arguably, one of the greatest songs in the history of Rock and Roll – It's A Long Way To the Top (If You Want To Rock and Roll): a promo film done on the streets of Melbourne, Australia in 1976, another take filmed at the same time in Melbourne's City Square (not used), and an appearance on an Aussie TV show in which only blonde girls can dance, apparently. And one more, taken from the bootleg of a concert in Sydney in 1977.
5 HE'S AN AUTHORITY ... He's David Vitter. He's an American Republican Senator from Louisiana. He's a holy rolller. He likes having sex with prostitutes, especially while he's wearing adult diapers. (AlterNet) And he wants to destroy Canada's health care system. I got nothin.' (Scott's DiaTribes).
6 HOCKEY NIGHT IN .... NAHHH About 20 years ago, so one story went, the Montreal Canadiens front office decided to go after the Expos' popularity by badmouthing their operations in the media. They must be doing the same thing today with the Als, because otherwise this story – that the Habs can't use The Big Owe for a New Year's Day game because the Als' season stretches too long and they don't have time to prepare the facility for hockey – seems to have a certain scent of bull. (PuckDaddy)
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